The normalization agreements reached August 2020 between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan were achieved under the former Israeli government and the former US administration. Since then, leadership has changed in both Israel and the United States. But are the Abraham Accords of last year about to expand soon, despite the change of governments? Are additional Arab and/or Muslim states in the Middle East or on its periphery mulling whether to join in?

Judging by the buzz in the Israeli corridors of power, the answer is “yes.” Apparently, other countries are on the fence, one foot there, one foot here, trying to decide in which direction to jump. Are we seeing a maturation of the normalization process and the future expansion of the circle of peace around Israel, or simply a nonbinding flirtation with few prospects? Hard to say at this point.

On Sept. 15, Israel marked the first anniversary of the signing of the Abraham Accords in Washington, the diamond in the crown of thrones placed on the head of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the waning days of his rule. His successor, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who had not referred explicitly to these agreements until now, mentioned them in his Sept. 27 speech at the United Nations General Assembly meeting. Shortly after Bennett’s return from New York, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid flew off on a historic visit to Bahrain, where he met with the king and top leaders Sept. 30.

Behind closed doors, intensive work is underway to upgrade the agreements or bring additional partners on board. Bennett issued the first hint of this under-the-radar activity on the UN podium. After referring to the “Abraham Accords that normalized our relations with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco,” he added, “more is to come.” He did not elaborate, but prompted a wave of rumors.